Is it possible that I could typing this up on the actual drive home? Yes. I have internet through my dad's phone to my computer! Crazy technology! Why not use this long long drive to accomplish a blog entry?!
Well... at this moment, I'm somehere between Salina, Kansas and Olathe, Kansas! Getting excited to see lots of friends and family over the next few days, as well as sleeping in my own bed!
Approximately 2000+ miles, one province, 6 states, a bag of sunflower seeds, countless potty stops, and amazingly, only one slightly sketchy hotel room later- We've seen lots of awesome places (and some less than exciting) I'm so thankful to my family for humoring me and picking me up in BC rather than just the airport in KC! We've had lots of laughs and it was a great way to catch up with them, but also to give myself ample time to process and think about the upcoming weeks and months. No real solid plans yet, but I trust that the Lord will continue to be faithful and guide my every step!
So really, I don't have much else to say, so maybe I'll just show some pictures? Sure...
Dinner with the Family in Bellingham, Wa
The Original Starbucks in Seattle!
Top of a mountain in Wa, snows over my head! Brr!!
Well, expect more blogs. The journey certainly doesn't stop here! And be sure to look out for more pictures on Facebook!
Well, friends. As they say, the first half of TREK is over, now comes the second half. This is the part where I go. Go back home or wherever God takes me next and tell the stories of the great things he is doing; in the world, but also in my heart!
Props to Vancouver musician, Lance Odegard for the title of this blog. You see, long story short, there's a band that kind of became a favorite amongst the trekkers and even our friends in The Philippines called 'Gungor'. They're great, check out this song of theirs:
My apologies in advance, because this will probably get stuck in your head!
Well, they just happened to be in concert in a neighboring city during debrief!! How exciting; of course several of us wanted to go.
BEST CONCERT EVER!! (I'm pretty sure that that's a totally accurate statement, but don't quote me.)
So much talent in this band. Anywhoo... Lance Odegard is a local musician that opened for Gungor. To be honest, his portion of the show was mostly less than exciting. Except for a particular song that stood out to me. It was called - you guessed it! 'After departure, before arrival'. He told us before he started the song that he had only written this song that day and last minute decided to include it in the show. I felt like God had done this just for me. He shared that it came from Genesis 12 when God told Abram to leave his country for something unknown. A verse that I've clung to over the last few years is Hebrews 11:8 'By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.'
Here I am sitting in a dark auditorium amongst my fellow teammates. We've just returned from our time in the Philippines and are faced with a giant question of what's next? I was just overwhelmed as Mr. Odegard began singing the song. To be honest, I don't really remember the lyrics of the song, I was just so caught with the title and thinking about the call of Abram.
Well, I've just left TREK. I've departed, but I've yet to arrive. Not only because I literally am not home yet, but just thinking in the bigger scheme of things. Home is not here, home is not a house in Kansas, it's not even a house! My home is with my creator.
So. I've departed. I've departed onto a journey where God is calling me to be faithful and obedient to his guidance. Sometimes the road is a little rocky, the path might be narrow, but man, the company is great and the view is breathtaking!
I know you still want to know what's next, guess what? So do I! I don't really know. But there is something so precious about trusting in the Lord. It's completely terrifying, but so exciting and beautiful!
Such a mix of emotions. What in the world have I been doing these last 5ish months? I'm not even sure yet. Am I different from when this first began? Am I excited to be back in Canada? Am I ready to go back to Kansas? What has God taught me these last few months? What have I learned about myself?
So many questions with so few answers. I feel like I've just been given a 10,000 piece puzzle and asked to solve it. I almost don't know where to begin. I guess you find the corners then the borders and start piecing. But the picture that I'm seeing on the box is so fuzzy that I'm just not sure what it's supposed to look like.
Hmm. What's the progress on your puzzle? Do you have any advice?
